The present invention relates generally to the field of mechanisms for identifying faults and serviceable conditions in complex systems. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for improving detection, isolation and servicing of failures or serviceable events, and serviceability models used in detecting and correcting failures and serviceable events.
In a field of complex machine systems, various techniques have been employed for detecting faults or serviceable conditions and for correcting them. Early techniques were simply reactive and manual in character. That is, as a fault condition or failure occurred, technicians or service personnel carried out manual troubleshooting operations to identify where the fault may have occurred and correct the malfunction. Such systems, while adequate on simple systems generally, do not provide a highly reliable and extendable service strategy. Moreover, such approaches rely upon the experience level, skill, intuition and knowledge of human technicians and service personnel, which may vary greatly both between individuals and over time.
Approaches have been made to more analytically and repeatably identify faults and serviceable conditions in reactive and proactive manners. However, existing approaches do not typically benefit from a systematic strategy for establishing a serviceability model or system, implementing the model or system, and correcting the model and system following implementation. There is a significant need, therefore, for improved systems designed to provide service to complex systems. There is a particular need for an overall service strategy approach which can be applied to complex machine systems of a wide range of types, that include many different subsystems, components, functions, field replaceable units, and so forth. The art has not as yet successfully developed a comprehensive approach to serviceability design, implementation and improvement.